


When I First Saw You (We Weren't Both Young)

by Krissielee



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-29
Updated: 2015-10-29
Packaged: 2018-04-28 17:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5099657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Krissielee/pseuds/Krissielee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At 24, Eggsy Unwin is still acting like a child--he's no job, no prospects, and no significant other.  His parents only want what's best for him, and when it doesn't work out Rufus, Hugo, Roxy, or Charlie, a new solution presents itself in the form of Harry Hart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When I First Saw You (We Weren't Both Young)

**Author's Note:**

> So, here it is. It's the fault of the lot of them, [LunarNightshade](http://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarnightshade) (who gave this thing a title), [firtherfromthetruth](http://archiveofourown.org/users/firtherfromthetruth), [Knuckleblister](http://archiveofourown.org/users/knuckleblister) (who also betaed), [beautyofthenightmares](http://archiveofourown.org/users/beautyofthenightmares), [elletromil](http://archiveofourown.org/users/elletromil) and the rest of the fluffernutters/kinksmen/whatever we're called. But this is all because of them, and they know how much I hate them for it. <3 They also promised to force me to finish this, so if it doesn't happen, blame them. ;)
> 
> This is an arranged marriage fic pulling a bit from multiple modern practices--mostly, however, it's based on the Japanese practice of [miai/o-miai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miai): basically, you get around 3 dates with your intended after you first meet them to decide if you're going to get married or not. It's actually all really fascinating*, so I recommend you all read up on it if you're interested. 
> 
> *Or maybe that's just my cultural anthro major showing.

Eggsy looked at the stack of pictures his parents had set in front of him, sighing. “You really think this batch’ll be better’n the last ones?” he asked. 

“Babe, we jus’ want you to be happy,” Michelle said, squeezing her husband’s hand. Lee leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Jus’ try? For us?”

Eggsy sighed again. His parents had enlisted the help of Kingsman, the most prestigious matrimony agency in the country, to help find him a suitable spouse. At 24, it was already getting difficult for him to find suitable employment-- _any_ employment not in a chip shop, and as the years went on, it would only get worse. Being unmarried meant fewer jobs, lower salaries, and being thought of as less responsible when it came to working well with others. If he didn’t go through with this, it could fuck up his entire life. Eggsy knew that. He knew his parents just wanted him to succeed.

So far, though, all Eggsy was seeing were a bunch of stuck-up toffs with more money than sense.

The first batch had given him Digby and Rufus, and they’d both been utter morons, thinking Eggsy would be impressed that they’d gone to Cambridge and St Andrews, respectively—not so; he just felt their parents had blown a lot of money on lost causes with sticks so far up their arses nothing would get them out. 

Michelle and Lee had tried again, but Hugo hadn’t even made it past the initial meeting before Eggsy excused himself; he’d immediately mocked Eggsy’s interest in gymnastics, and had Eggsy not walked out then Hugo would’ve had to change his name to Heidi after what Eggsy did to him.

Eggsy had only chosen one potential candidate from the third round, and Roxy had been all right; Eggsy really liked her company. Unfortunately, she wasn’t into guys; like Eggsy, she was just trying to appease her parents, and though they’d decided that if they were unable to find suitable partners in their preferred gender they’d eventually marry simply for convenience, they both wanted to try for love—or at least something resembling it—first. They still texted, of course, sending pictures of potential mates and lamenting disastrous dates.

This most recent batch was full of the same sort of posh wankers as every other he’d gone through. Some bloke named Piers who looked like he was smelling something awful, and another boy named Nathaniel who … well, all right, he didn’t look too awful, but that just meant something was _really_ wrong with him. He probably had hairy toes or something equally off-putting.

At the bottom of the stack there was a boy named Charlie Hesketh whose picture alone made Eggsy want to punch his smug face in. 

“Any winners?” Michelle asked, looking over Eggsy’s shoulder. Eggsy winced.

“Er, uh, yeah—this one,” he said, shoving Charlie’s picture at her. He hated disappointing her, but he didn’t see how this arranged marriage thing would work out. The only reason they were able to get someone like these pricks to give Eggsy a second glance was because of Lee’s Marine commendations. They weren’t rich, they weren’t upper class, but they were trying to get by and better themselves. That was Eggsy’s job: to get them to that better place.

Lee skimmed over the profile Charlie had sent, and hummed. “I’ll call Merlin and have him set up a meeting,” he said. Eggsy smiled weakly.

“Perf,” he said. Hopefully, his parents would give up soon; Eggsy didn’t really want to marry any of the people his parents had chosen; he wanted to be a normal kid—to go on regular dates, get felt up in the back of the theatre or sneak a kiss over a cheap plate of chips. Who could decide their future in just three somewhat chaperoned meetings?

Nobody, that’s who.

Especially when the choices were so wholly unappealing. Thinking they were better than Eggsy just because Eggsy didn’t come from seven generations of inbreeding and didn’t own a pack of hunting dogs …

Unfortunately, both Lee and Michelle were thrilled with Eggsy’s acceptance of yet another potential proposal, and tried their best to get him excited about it. Eggsy tried his best to match their enthusiasm, but it was exhausting—he ended up spending most evenings at the Black Prince nursing a pint just to avoid hearing more about Charlie’s finer points (“He’s an Oxford graduate, Eggsy!” “Captain of the rowing team!” “Raises German Shepherds!”) when every single one sounded like the biggest pile of bullshit on Earth.

It was three days later, three days where Eggsy sort of hoped this Charlie bloke would get hit by a cab so any meeting between them would need to be called off, before his parents told him their first in-person contact with Charlie, his guardian, and Merlin would take place the following Saturday, at Kingsman to start.

“It’s great news, isn’t it, babe?” Michelle said, and Eggsy had to smile again. She looked so overjoyed that Eggsy was trying that he couldn’t help himself, however distasteful the situation might be for him.

“The best.”

\--

Saturday came, and Eggsy put on his suit—the one he wore to weddings and funerals, and the two times he ended up in court for shoplifting. He tried to muster up some enthusiasm, but it was difficult; the car wound its way through traffic to the shop on Savile Row. Eggsy had the route memorised by now, knew the shop as well as his own room—dark green walls covered in dark wooden frames showing off the happy couples they’d been responsible for, leather chairs both in the front of the shop and upstairs, where meetings moved as they became more intimate and personal, and more pairs of antlers than Eggsy thought any one entity should own hanging from the ceiling.

Eggsy flopped down on the nearest couch, pouring himself a glass of the brandy kept out for these meetings. Lee shot him a look, but Eggsy knew he was going to need to be drunk to get through this.

Soon, Merlin walked out of one of the offices, Charlie at his heels and looking just as smug as the picture—at least he hadn’t opened his mouth yet to cement the illusion of prattishness.

Behind them was … well. _Legs_. Long legs. Eggsy’s jaw dropped as he looked over Charlie’s guardian. The man had to be in his late 40’s, but he looked fit and holy fuck, those _hands_ , gloriously large ones that looked like they’d fit perfectly around Eggsy’s hips. And his eyes, deep brown and looking so kind behind thick-rimmed glasses, but with a bit of an edge within them that hinted at something more dangerous, and his hair, partly slicked back, but with a few strands falling loose and looking softly and fluffy. Eggsy stared as Charlie sat down opposite him, not even sparing a glance for the young man when there was pure walking sex just behind him.

“Eggsy, Lee, Michelle, this is Charlie, and his appointed guardian, Harry Hart,” Merlin said, and Eggsy swallowed. Even the man’s name was perfect.

“Eggy?” Charlie said, snorting derisively. “What sort of name is that?”

“No, it’s Eggsy,” he replied automatically—he was used to getting shit for his nickname, but _Harry Hart_ didn’t seem to mind. It might’ve been Eggsy’s imagination, but he’d’ve put money down that Harry was watching him right back.

The meeting went as well as anyone could have expected—Charlie throwing thinly-veiled barbs at Eggsy’s upbringing, Eggsy nowhere near as polite as he questioned just how many cousins were married to each other to create such a perfect blend of toff. When Harry’s jaw tightened to hide what looked like a smile, Eggsy winked.

After about ten minutes, Charlie stood up. “I’m done. This pleb isn’t worth it.” 

“Now hold on, Charlie,” Merlin said, “Neither you nor Eggsy have had any luck finding a suitable candidate, so perhaps you could _both_ try to be more civil?”

“He’s a prick!” Eggsy said. “That silver spoon’s so far up his arse he’d need surgery to remove it.”

“Then you can court Mr. Hart,” Merlin said, ignoring the mildly alarmed look Harry shot him. “He’s unattached. Forty-eight years old. If you think that’s more suitable than Mr. Hesketh, be my guest.”

“Fine,” Eggsy replied. “Anyone’s better’n Charlie.” With that, he stood up, heading for the private room he usually ended up in when these meetings turned to one-on-one getting to know each other. He assumed Harry would follow him, and he’d been right.

“Let’s get this over with, then,” Eggsy said, sprawling out on the couch. “You don’t wanna be ‘ere, I don’t wanna be ‘ere, so let’s just agree this ain’t gonna work an’ we can get on with our lives.” Harry wasn’t going to be the type up for a quick shag, which is all Eggsy was good for. Easier to just let him go from the start.

Harry hesitated, then took a seat beside Eggsy, stiff but still looking composed. “And what will happen to you, Eggsy?” Fuck, but that voice was rich and fond, Eggsy’s name sounding sweet when Harry said it. “I’ve read your file. Great performance in primary school, shortlisted for the Olympic gymnastics team, excellent prospects in the Marines … but you gave it all up for a string of petty thefts and drugs.”

Eggsy hadn’t felt bad about any of that until he heard it from Harry, but he refused to be cowed. “You can’t talk to me like that! You haven’t a clue what it’s like, comin’ from the bottom and bein’ used to get your parents further socially,” he spat, chin held high. His rap sheet was nothing to be proud of, but it was what it was. “I wasn’t gonna let them use me.”

Harry was quiet, eyes piercing as he observed Eggsy, making the younger man want to squirm.

“ _You_ ain’t gonna use me, neither,” Eggsy said, when the silence became too uncomfortable. “Just ‘cause you’s old an’ unmarried don’t mean nothin’ to me. An’ anyway, why the fuck’s someone like you tryin’ to shove a prick like Charlie off on anyone? He’s an arse!”

“On that we agree,” Harry said, interrupting Eggsy’s tirade. “I’m doing it as a favour to an old friend.”

“You must owe him big, bruv,” Eggsy laughed, “’Cause ain’t much worth dealin’ with Charlie on a regular basis, an’ I’ve only known him ten minutes!”

Harry smirked. “However, it still stands that without this … _our_ courtship, it’s unlikely you’ll do anything with your life that your parents will approve of.”

“So what?”

“So you start looking for someone suitable, and we’ll draw this out as long as it takes to find them,” Harry offered.

Eggsy looked Harry over suspiciously. He wasn’t sure he believed the man’s plan had merit—after all, Eggsy already wasn’t sure he’d be paying attention to anything else until he got Harry naked in a bed—but what choice did he have? His parents were going to be wicked disappointed that he’d already buggered his possible arrangement with Charlie, and he wasn’t getting any younger …

“Yeah, all right.”


End file.
